Strong opposition to the US and Israel's war against Iran is reported across northern Greece, according to a new poll conducted by "To The Point" for Voria.gr across Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia, and Thrace.
Public opinion in northern Greece is showing a complex, at times contradictory, response to the current volatile geopolitical landscape. However, views on the Middle East stand out clearly, with a significant 61.3% of respondents expressing disagreement with the intervention, rising to 68.8% when including those who "rather disagree." Conversely, only 17.5% show some level of agreement, while just 10.8% remain undecided. The data suggests a largely sceptical stance among northern Greek voters towards the war in the Middle East.
This concern is reinforced by perceptions of the conflict's potential consequences. A majority (52%) believe the situation "will further complicate matters and could lead to a wider war involving other major powers." Only 10.3% think it could result in regime change in Iran, while 20.5% expect little to no change in the region in the coming years. A smaller share, 11%, believes the conflict might ultimately improve the situation by making Iran more cooperative with the international community.
Views on the war in Ukraine are more divided, reflecting a more nuanced attribution of responsibility. While 36.3% of respondents place primary blame on Russia, a notable 21.1% attribute responsibility to the West, including the US and EU. Only 5% hold Ukraine chiefly responsible, while nearly a third, 29.6%, assign responsibility across all sides. This suggests a degree of scepticism towards dominant Western narratives, even within an EU member state.
Opinion on the Greek government's stance on Ukraine is similarly divided. Some 47.4% consider its policy "right and rather right," while 44.7% view it as "wrong and rather wrong," highlighting a near-even split in public sentiment.
The survey also reveals striking differences in how international leaders are perceived. French President Emmanuel Macron emerges as the most popular figure, with 50.4% expressing positive or rather positive views, alongside the lowest level of negative opinions at 33.3%, giving him a strongly favourable net image.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky follows with 27.4% positive views, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin at 20.3%. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ranks fourth with 19.3%, notably recording the lowest number of positive opinions among the leaders surveyed and relatively low recognition levels, with 11% of respondents saying they do not know her.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rank lowest in overall favourability, with just 18.8% and 14% of respondents reporting positive views, respectively. Trump also records the highest negative ratings at 70.5%, followed by Putin at 64.4%.
By Tasos Tasioulas - adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
